1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a driving game machine which is played by the player to simulate the driving of an automobile and which displays on a display monitor a real-time three-dimensional image that varies depending on the manner in which the simulated automobile is driven by the player, and a computer-readable medium which stores a driving game program for operating such a driving game machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been in widespread use driving game machines that are played by the player who is seated in a cockpit equipped with a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, etc., similar to the driver's seat of an actual automobile. While seeing a three-dimensional image displayed on a display monitor, the player operates the steering wheel, the accelerator pedal, the brake pedal, etc. to drive a simulated automobile on the display monitor. The display monitor displays, on a displayed road, the automobile driven by the player, a rival automobile or automobiles competing for a driving game, and general automobiles existing as obstacles. The automobile driven by the player will be referred to as the player's automobile, and the rival and general automobiles as other automobiles. The player enjoys the driving game by driving the player's automobile at high speeds and passing other automobiles on a three-dimensional road that has bends and uphill and down-hill grades.
With the conventional driving game machines, the displayed three-dimensional road has no oncoming lanes, and the player maneuvers the player's automobile to pass other automobiles running on one or more lanes in the same direction as the player's automobile.
Heretofore, there have been in use driving game machines which two-dimensionally display on a display monitor player's and other automobiles which are running on a displayed road. Even if the displayed road has oncoming lanes, general automobiles running on such oncoming lanes simply appear from an end of the screen of the display monitor, and do not make the driving games played on the driving game machines attractive and interesting to the player.